RDU - SAN

$98 Find Cheap Flights from Raleigh to San Diego

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Raleigh to San Diego departing on 7/8. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to San Diego

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Raleigh to San Diego.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Raleigh to San Diego.
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Flights Deals

Cheap Flights from Raleigh to San Diego (RDU-SAN)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Raleigh to San Diego that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Raleigh to San Diego

Fri, Jul 25 - Fri, Aug 8
Frontier Logo
7:30 am - 6:10 pmRDU-SAN
13h 40m1 stop
Frontier Logo
7:05 pm - 6:35 amSAN-RDU
8h 30m1 stop
$170Frontier
Find Deal
Fri, Jul 25 - Fri, Aug 1
Frontier Logo
7:30 am - 12:04 pmRDU-SAN
7h 34m1 stop
Frontier Logo
7:05 pm - 6:35 amSAN-RDU
8h 30m1 stop
$181Frontier
Find Deal
Thu, Jul 10 - Thu, Jul 17
Frontier Logo
7:30 am - 6:19 pmRDU-SAN
13h 49m1 stop
Frontier Logo
12:59 pm - 6:35 amSAN-RDU
14h 36m1 stop
$190Frontier
Find Deal
Tue, Aug 19 - Tue, Aug 26
Breeze Airways Logo
9:38 am - 12:03 pmRDU-SAN
5h 25mnonstop
Breeze Airways Logo
12:48 pm - 8:59 pmSAN-RDU
5h 11mnonstop
$202Breeze Airways
Find Deal
Tue, Aug 19 - Tue, Aug 26
Breeze Airways Logo
9:38 am - 12:03 pmRDU-SAN
5h 25mnonstop
Breeze Airways Logo
12:48 pm - 8:59 pmSAN-RDU
5h 11mnonstop
$207Breeze Airways
Find Deal
Thu, Jul 31 - Mon, Aug 4
Delta Logo
7:00 pm - 11:29 pmRDU-SAN
7h 29m1 stop
Delta Logo
9:55 pm - 10:55 amSAN-RDU
10h 00m1 stop
$277Delta
Find Deal
Sun, Aug 17 - Wed, Aug 27
Delta Logo
6:00 am - 10:57 amRDU-SAN
7h 57m1 stop
Delta Logo
6:15 am - 5:19 pmSAN-RDU
8h 04m1 stop
$283Delta
Find Deal
Thu, Aug 21 - Tue, Aug 26
Southwest Logo
3:10 pm - 9:35 pmRDU-SAN
9h 25m1 stop
Southwest Logo
8:40 am - 9:25 pmSAN-RDU
9h 45m2 stops
$298Southwest
Find Deal
Wed, Jun 25 - Mon, Jun 30
American Airlines Logo
7:29 pm - 11:56 pmRDU-SAN
7h 27m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
9:13 pm - 8:00 amSAN-RDU
7h 47m1 stop
$317American Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Jun 24 - Wed, Jun 25
Southwest Logo
4:35 pm - 9:50 pmRDU-SAN
8h 15m2 stops
Southwest Logo
12:45 pm - 12:15 amSAN-RDU
8h 30m1 stop
$322Southwest
Find Deal
Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from Raleigh to San Diego

 
Snippets provided in this section are AI-generated based on a summarization of KAYAK-commissioned articles. The articles are presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the articles are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Airports
RDU

RDU offers free Wi-Fi lasting 48 hours, ensuring connectivity even during unexpected delays.

Read more about RDUby Jessica Macdonald
SAN

The Route 992 bus is the cheapest way to reach Downtown San Diego from SAN, running every 15 minutes.

Read more about SANby Brandon Schultz
Our travel experts
Brandon Schultz

Brandon Schultz

Expert on SAN

Brandon Schultz

Brandon Schultz

Brandon Schultz is an award-winning food and travel writer based in New York City. His work has appeared in Forbes, AAA, Thrillist, Travel + Leisure, and The Daily Meal, among many others, and he is the author of 6 books, including 3 cookbooks.

Read more
Jessica Macdonald

Jessica Macdonald

Expert on RDU

Jessica Macdonald

Jessica Macdonald

Currently based in Scotland after living in South Africa and the United States, Jessica has been writing travel and aviation content for more than 10 years. She regularly contributes to Travel + Leisure and TripSavvy, and has had work published by Condé Nast Traveller and The Independent. She has traveled to more than 50 countries across six continents.

Read more
Useful Info

KAYAK's insights & trends for Raleigh to San Diego flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Raleigh to San Diego to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

Find cheap flights to San Diego
Find cheap flights to San Diego

Planning a trip from Raleigh to San Diego? KAYAK’s data-powered insights will help you find cheap flights. Learn the best time to fly, how early to book your ticket, and other tips to secure great prices.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Raleigh to San Diego?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Raleigh to San Diego clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

If your flying dates are flexible, you should consider flying to San Diego on a Wednesday, as we generally find the cheapest rates on that day for this route. On the other hand, Saturday is the most expensive day to fly from Raleigh to San Diego. For your return ticket, we recommend flying on a Friday and avoiding Sundays for the best deals.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Raleigh to San Diego?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Raleigh to San Diego, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from Raleigh to San Diego is September, where tickets cost $298 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and March, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $492 and $460 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Raleigh to San Diego?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

No, with an average price for the route of $311, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Raleigh to San Diego?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Raleigh to San Diego, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from Raleigh to San Diego, you should book around 2 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 4 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
High seasonDecember
Cheapest flight$98
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 8% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 34% increase in price.
Flight from Raleigh to San Diego

When to book flights from Raleigh to San Diego

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Raleigh to San Diego based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking flights from Raleigh to San Diego

  • Does RDU have a military lounge?

    Serving as the Transit Center for the six major bases in North Carolina, the USO at RDU services thousands of US military active-duty personnel, their families, and military retirees each month. The USO is located in Terminal 2, open from 7 am to 7 pm daily. Some amenities of this USO include comfortable seating, TV, computers, a place for kids to play, beverages and snacks, and more.

  • Does RDU have animal relief stations inside the terminals?

    No. Currently, RDU does not have any pet relief areas inside the terminals. However, they do have two areas where your pet can go to the bathroom outside the terminals. Each pet relief station is located outside Baggage Claim in both Terminals 1 and 2. So, if you are traveling with a service animal or pet, make sure they go to the bathroom before you enter the airport and go through security.

  • Does SAN have any nursing rooms?

    Yes. These rooms are located in Terminal 1 in the West Rotunda, Terminal 1 in the East Rotunda, and Terminal 2 at Gate 34. These clean, quiet rooms have comfortable seating, soft lighting, artwork, a children's seat, a hand washing station, and electrical outlets.

  • How can I fly from RDU to SAN?

    United Airlines has a direct flight from RDU to SAN. Several airlines operate flights between RDU and SAN that entail one layover, including Delta, American Airlines, JetBlue, United Airlines, and Alaska Airlines. Some layover cities include Denver (DEN), Minneapolis (MSP), Charlotte (CLT), Dallas (DFW), Seattle (SEA), and New York City (JFK). Frontier, Spirit Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines are some of the carriers that operate flights between RDU and SAN with two layovers.

  • What is the cheapest flight from Raleigh to San Diego?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Raleigh to San Diego was $98 for a one-way ticket and $170 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between Raleigh and San Diego?

    No

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from Raleigh to San Diego?

    Raleigh airport is called Raleigh-Durham and the only airport in San Diego is San Diego.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from Raleigh to San Diego?

    American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Delta offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the Raleigh to San Diego flight route.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Raleigh to San Diego?

    The Airbus A220-300 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Raleigh to San Diego flight route.

  • On which days can I fly direct from Raleigh to San Diego?

    You can catch a nonstop flight from Raleigh to San Diego on on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Raleigh to San Diego, Breeze Airways or Delta?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Raleigh to San Diego are Breeze Airways and Delta. With an average price for the route of $301 and an overall rating of 8.1, Breeze Airways is the most popular choice. Delta is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $359 and an overall rating of 8.0.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Raleigh to San Diego?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Raleigh to San Diego.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Raleigh to San Diego?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to San Diego from Raleigh is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Raleigh to San Diego?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to San Diego with an airline and back to Raleigh with another airline. Booking your flights between Raleigh and SAN can sometimes prove cheaper using this method.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Raleigh to San Diego?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to San Diego from Raleigh up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from Raleigh to San Diego

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $109 or less one-way and $280 or less round-trip.
  • Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU) is a focus city for Frontier Airlines and Delta Airlines. San Diego International Airport (SAN) is a focus city for Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
  • SAN has a Traveler's Aid service near the Baggage Claim in Terminals 1 and 2. Open 8 am to 11 pm daily, this non-profit’s goal is to assist distressed or stranded travelers. Travelers Aid helps with situations such as stolen or lost money, emergency housing, transportation assistance, and more.
  • RDU has several accommodations to make travel more hassle-free for differently-abled travelers, including handicap parking access, mobility aids, and TTY phones. RDU welcomes service animals and uses the program TSA cares, which helps ensure that differently-abled travelers have the time and assistance they need getting through the security checkpoint.
  • To park your car at RDU before your flight to SAN, you can park at Premier Parking, which is closest to the terminals. The most affordable option is to park at one of the Economy Lots which are further away. To park at RDU, you need to book your spot online at least a day before your travel. You will get a QR code that you then use to enter whichever lot you have chosen.
  • RDU has a Meditation Room Landside in Terminal 2 that is open 24h every day. This room is a quiet space where passengers can pray, reflect, relax, or just retreat from the commotion of the airport. RDU also has a chapel located in Terminal 1 near the Baggage Claim, open 24/7.

Prefer to fly direct from Raleigh to San Diego?

Find which airlines fly direct from Raleigh-Durham Airport to San Diego Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

Raleigh-Durham to San Diego

Tuesday

Breeze Airways

Breeze Airways

Thursday

Breeze Airways

Breeze Airways

Sunday

Breeze Airways

Breeze Airways

See more direct flights

Direct returns

San Diego to Raleigh-Durham

Tuesday

Breeze Airways

Breeze Airways

Thursday

Breeze Airways

Breeze Airways

Sunday

Breeze Airways

Breeze Airways

See more direct flights
See more direct flights

Top 5 airlines serving from Raleigh to San Diego

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Raleigh to San Diego. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Raleigh to San Diego? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.1
Breeze AirwaysOverall score based on 178 reviews
6.7Food
6.6Entertainment
8.3Boarding
8.2Comfort
8.8Crew
Airline reviews

The flight was comfortable with the usual slight turbulence. Macadamia Nuts would be great snacks to purchase in flight.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jun 2025MCO - SBN
Read more Breeze Airways reviews

The flight was comfortable with the usual slight turbulence. Macadamia Nuts would be great snacks to purchase in flight.

This is one of the worst trips that I have ever had. Ending up with an overnight delay. I’m not happy with the fact that they did not provide and set up the arrangement needed for lodging that we had to do it on our own. I also feel there should’ve been Compensation for food.

Had to approach landing twice which caused concern but probably due to weather

This was my first time flying your airline and it was okay. The people were nice but I am not used to all the add ons and no movies or even water. But I knew it was going to be that way. I think I prefer paying for the extras to be more comfortable.

Plane did no snacks and had no wifi or entertainment although the flight was 4 hours long.

My original booking was a nonstop flight. It got changed to a flight with a 6vhour layover that became a 7+ hour lay over. I'll never fly this airline again after this roundtrip is over.

I was surprised at how wonderful it was. The aircraft was clean. The crew was warm and welcoming and as a result the passengers were friendly. One warning the only free thing was water. I kind of liked picking wet hat I was willing to pay for and what I was willing to skip.

The flight wasn’t big on frills, which is fine with me. I flew into Islip MacArthur Airport, which saved me from having to go through LaGuardia to visit friends on Long Island. It was inexpensive and super convenient!

Great experience! This was my first time flying with them and I could not have been happier.

Airplane was newer and very clean, lots of space. Crew was great. There was no food and entertainment but that was expected so not an issue.

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

Boarding process, crew were good. But the seats were so uncomfortable that was all I could focus on. I literally had to sit forward so that all 3 of us could fit in row. I will try to avoid Southwest in the future for any flights over 60 minutes.

Great flight, 47 passengers on a 180 seat plane. Stewardess was pleasant and cheerful.

Great experience flying Southwest. The crew was really kind and helpful, and very friendly with our toddler.

Plane late from DC to Austin 30 minutes. Crew made up much of the time enroute to San Diego.

Fine, but how to board on SW versus othrr airlines, is just lame. Goood staff though and all was solid otherwise.

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a not a great airport.

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a hell hole of an airport. It is the new LaGuardia. Everything Cobbled together. Security gates closed. Terri directional signage

I will be flying again Southwest Airlines. Friendly crew, comfortable and affordable.

The plane arrived 25 minutes late, and the Wi-Fi was slower than it usually is.

5 hours of delay that could've been much shorter if Delta had taken the 1 hour delay they imposed on the flight before boarding to run any of the plane checks required for flight to find the hydraulic issue that required nearly 3 hours to fix. $24 of meal credit buys a sandwich and a soft drink. Poor communication within the terminal about what gate we'd be re-boarding from and when we'd be re-boarding.

The entertainment and wifi mostly didn't work on this flight.

Terrible entertainment system - kept freezing and audio kept cutting out. Snacks were mediocre at best for a 5 hour flight.

I am still upset that my bag was lost on a recent trip to Rome ; we were inconvenienced and out €150 Euros ; delta has refused to reimburse us

This had nothing to do with Delta… The flights were on time and flawless. The service was excellent. We purchased seats in (aisle/middle) comfort plus since this was a cross country flight. Unfortunately, the woman seated at the window was 300+ pounds and, as might be expected, covered up about a third of the middle seat also. there was absolutely nothing that Delta could have done about that… I just don’t know what the answer should be. If you purchase a seat, you should should be able to use the entire seat and not just the portion that someone else is not sitting/oozing in. Disappointing…there should be something that could be done….I'm just not sure what solution could be.

Seats are much much more comfortable than United, which is what I usually fly

If I pay extra for "comfort+" I expect leg room where I can stretch my legs. I was seated with an attendant's seat blocking my feet. Knee space was fine but my feet had less room than the non-"comfort+" seats. Also, don't go cheap on food when you have flights of 3+ hours. It's insulting.

Only one side of the heafphone jack work. Crew was friendly and helpful.

Great. Flight departed early and arrived early. Deplaning and baggage claim ww were quick.

They separated our seats and moved us to the back of the plane. Hundreds of dollars and thousands of miles used and this was my platinum member experience.

Honestly, I haven’t flown American in years, probably due to the pandemic and my being unable to travel for certain periods in the last two years, but it was a good experience to dig out or obtain a new American Airlines account after many years of traveling for business with American in the past.

Long 5 hour and 45 min flight and only one drink service and cookie snack

One bottle of water and a package of cookies for comfort plus. We had to literally beg a flight attendant for an extra bottle of water later in the flight due to feeling dehydrated.

Flight boarded from Gate 39 at OGG, the farthest gate in the terminal. There were no Hawaiian themed amenities for the flight. The first class service was mediocre at best; I received not special welcome or recognition as an executive platinum member of American Advantage program. The flight attendants were more concerned with their cell phones than saying "thank you" to the passengers as we disembarked. Fortunately, the flight arrived at LAX a few minutes early.

Bigger seats. Board back to front! Disembark front to back!

Extraordinary service in business class, and very good breakfast and snacks. A really lovely flight.

This flight didn’t happen because AA agents didn’t let us board the flight

Plane was pretty clean, staff was friendly and helpful, flight left about on time arrived early. Took a long time to board and get off the plane - carry on items didn't have enough room so people had to move all around to find places.

The service and food needs to improve to catch up with other international flights

Would have been good to have a meal since it was a 5.5 hour flight

Cancelled flight after I arrived at airport after 75 min drive and parking. Next flight was 4 days in the future. Had to scramble and buy a much more expensive flight on another carrier.

I liked the price of the flight and the chance to buy a seat with no person seated in the middle seat.. Also the flight was right on time.

Plane was down graded and I lost my uncharged exit row with more leg room. No mention or offer of refund from podium. Flight attendant was nice to explain this happens often and that I could request a refund via online form submission. I did this and have heard nothing back.

Horrendous. I do not recommend Frontier. The passengers lack manners and decency, and the flight attendants lack professionalism. If I wasn’t in a bind to fly with 48 hours notice for a job interview, I would not have selected a flight with Frontier and I never plan to fly with them in the future.

The seats were hard molded plastic covered in plastic vinyl. And the scam to charge people extra to sit together. Don’t they know we can just ask someone to trade seats. And watching the staff separate young children from parents… super classy. We had to guilt them into offering up our seats. This companies policies suck. Don’t give them your money.

Everything went as planned. Crew was great. Seats were still not that comfortable.

No frills for sure. No gate announcements about flight delay, not even water to drink on the flight.

The plane was clean, the crew was friendly and helpful. It’s a low cost airline so there was no food, drinks or in flight entertainment but we didn’t expect any of these things. In the room for improvement department, they should install USB ports in seats to charge mobile devices.

I was surprised that all baggage, including carry on, were charged. Each additional bag went up in cost. Really disappointed in the additional costs.

Charges unexpected. For seat that didnt recline. Please reverse extra seat and carryon charge. Bad business that is a bait and switch.

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